We are requesting funds for the evaluation of a wearable electrotactile vocoder, as a speech-training aid forprofoundly deaf children. We have developed a wearable speech-analyzing tactile aid for the profoundly deaf, a system which translates sound into touch patterns on the skin. The acoustic spectrum is transformed according to frequency into a linear multi-channel tactile presentation, via a belt of electrotactile stimulators around the abdomen. Each speech sound generates a characteristic tactile pattern which observers can learn to identify. We have reported studies showing (1) discriminability of the major phonemic features of speech via the tactile display alone; (2) identification of words and short sentences in connected discourse; and (3) the positive personal reactions of profoundly deaf children and adults. We have just completed a two-month pilot program in collaboration with the Marin County (California) public school system. Six profoundly deaf children, ranging in age from 5 to 8 years old, have each received approximately five contact hours of experience, distributed over 15 training sessions. The training objectives include familiarization with the operation, sensations, and controls of the tactile aid; vocabulary training and testing via 2- through 5-alternative forced choice discrimination tasks; imitative speech drill; identification of phrases and short, syntactically simple sentences; and exploration of environmental sounds. We plan a one-month summer school training program with these children, in which the sensory aid will be worn during conventional speech-training activities. Both speech production and speech comprehension will be evaluated, using standardized tests wherever possible. In this application, we propose to expand the amount of daily experience available to each child; to evaluate speech comprehension with and without lipreading cues; to provide ancillary tactile input during routine classroom activities; and to assess the value of the sensory aid as an adjunct to speech-training.